Liz is a nominated Trustee, her term having commenced on 1 June 2020 and due to come to an end next year. As part of Trustees' Week 2023, we asked Liz to tell us about the highlights of her time as a Trustee.
I had been coming to visit my parents in Stratford long before I moved here in 2015 and I heard about the formation of the trust. It sounded fascinating carrying on the work people had done for centuries.
I was proud to be elected as one of the Town Councillor trustees in 2020 and I have been able to see the real value of the trust to people in the town in the grant giving and their participation in wider groups.
There are two projects that stand out for me. The first was Stratford Support which was set up almost instantly at the start of lockdown in 2020 just before I became trustee. The Trust and Council came together to create an organization from scratch to support members of the community in a new, frightening situation we had no previous experience of. Everyone involved should be so proud of themselves for what was achieved.
The second project was the community collective which resulted in the setting up of the Ministry. Local charities worked together with the Trust's support to identify how to meet the needs of the town's young people.
Listening to the presentation about the plan and watching it come into reality made me realize that we were making our own mark on the history of Stratford. We were following in the footsteps of those across the centuries trying to make life better for our neighbours, which is why we do the job!
I am stepping down next year as trustee and I know I shall miss it. The new Trustee will bring their own contribution as a Stratfordian and leave their own footprints in the sands of history.